Anyone up for a (more or less) liquid “salad”?
Tangy Gazpacho Schematic (doesn’t really qualify as a recipe):
- 28-oz can crushed or pureed tomatoes (if diced or chopped, put thru blender), and one canful water
- 6-oz can tomato paste, and one canful water
- 1-2 Tbs of each of the following liquids, and more to taste if desired:
— olive oil
— lemon juice
— vinegar (red wine or balsamic)
- salt to taste
- fresh or dried savory herbs, emphasis on basil and oregano, with a bay leaf
- if using alliums: finely chopped onion, slivered garlic or ramps, and/or chopped scallions or chives
- core vegetables:
— diced fresh tomato
— diced seeded cucumber (slice in half longways and scrape out seeds with spoon before dicing)
—- some other diced crunchish fresh vegetable such as green beans, bell pepper, snow peas
- additional vegetables as desired, besides the above:
— chopped pea shoots and/or other sprouts/microgreens
— thinly sliced radish, daikon or similar
— a little celery
- not recommended:
— peas and other legume seeds
— carrots or corn
— mushrooms
— brassicas and lettuces
— eggplant and squashes
— potato, egg or cheese
The goal is a sort of tomato suspension of a chopped fresh salad that tastes bright and crunchy rather than earthy and starchy (or soggy). Add water (and/or finely grated cucumber) if too thick: it should be more soup than salsa.
Some people lean more toward the fruit end of the spectrum by adding chopped apples or grapes, which I don’t, but one can experiment! Some people put bread in it, which is traditional but I think kind of undermines the concept.